The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-03-29

TO-N1
Admission, =
Wednesday Matinee
TIE CITY ClsEMAToI,Y.
A Readable and Reliable Account OF It's
YIN Performances.
To he Editor oftht Iatellioneer.
SHIFT may seem superllnous to write
anything more about tho %crcmatory, and
your readers may cry out, "Glve us a rest
on this subject" But II the cremasory is
worth having, 1t Is certainly worthy OF be.
ing understood. Tho experiment first
made by burning the horpe and tho gar.
bsge turned out satisfactorily, and has been
fully described III tho papefs. But many
doubted the efficacy oil the furnace In
burning large quantities Of liquid or serni.
liquid night soil. Some thought the in
PRODUCTION OF such material into q furnace
brought up to a white heat would cause
an explosion, burstsng tho furnace.snd on.
dangeriug the lives Of those working about
1t. Others thought 1t would at least crack
tho furnace and thus render 1t useless.
The wildcat verdict OF the doubteru waa
that the Introduction Of such liquid would
completely chill the furnace and thus pre-.
vent the combustion OF the ingesta.
On Monday, the 2lst inat., the final test
WAS made with thirty.two barrels oil night
soil, moet OF 1t In an almost liquid state,
between 10 aud IL A. 81, seventeen barrels
OF tho material were cast into the north
end Of the furnace. which filed it up ssy.
enteen inches from the bottom. This
soon began 10 boil all over the surface
The crown OF tho furnace WAS not percent
IDLY cooled. At first a black smoke Issued
from the stack, consisting Of the uucon.
sumed carbon, which proved a little too
much for the heat OF the furnace. But In
a few minutes the heat regained tho M.
tendency and there issued from the ton
OF the stack q white vapor, ouch ~ CONES
from the mouth Of u teakettle containing
nothing but water. This in time ceased
and there was nothing seen escaping from
the stack. The gases set free by the com.
bustion caught fire and added to the heat
OF the natural gas, which is the fuel used
in the Furnaces, 30 that the gas could be
turned down and the combustion pro-
ceeded asmoat entirely by the heat gem
Grated ny la own gas. Soon the liquid
had all evaporated and the gases gsneras-
ed we're all consumed 30 that a crust OF
about two inches in depth was all that re.
manned. The most Of this would also have
been consumed had there been sufficient
tools to stir 1t and break it up while yet
soft, and had there not been several bar
rels OF spurious material thrown in, con-
slsting almost entirely of clay, which
ought not to have been sent there. This
formed a very hard Stag, rather difficult to
break up. But for this the residuum
would have been much lees, and probably
in the form OF an ash.
A great deal has been said about tho
terrible odor caused by the cremation of
the different substances thrown into the
furnace. This was the reason the former
Health Committee found it 60 difficult to
secure a euitable location and were finally
compelled to placai it on the top OF Wheel
ing Hill, where it Is SO difficult Of access
that tits almost impossible to get any one
to haul the material for combustion to it.
So lar as the odor Is concerned, it exlsts
only in the imagination. The writer was
there from the time tho seventeen barrels
Of nlght-soil were dumped ia until they
we're reduced to two inches OF solid sub
stance. Although he 10 possessed Of a
pretty good.sizad proboscis and very sen.
sitiye olfactories, be smells1 nothing ex-
cept what might have proceeded from the
combustion OF any inodorous substance,
Those who were on the top of the furnace
smelled something, because one of the
mel who we're emptying the barrels, being
perhaps a little top-heavy from too
abundant imbibing Of the ardent, spilled
a small quantity Of the contents OF one OF
the bsrrels, and thus caused a little odor,
But when the building over the furnace
shall have been completed, the means for
charging the furnace will BIO so much i'm.
proved that Bnch accidents can hardly
occur except through extreme careless.
neas. Moreover, II the inodorous tanks
are adopted, which will no doubt be done
before long, II our city fathers display the
wisdom which should characterize that
body, the chances for making unnecessary
odor will be reduced to nothing.
Having nov proved the crematory to
be at that we could desire and that it does
its work to tho Satisfaction of the most
skeptical, that itne!ther exploded, cracked
or chilled on the introduction OF a large
quantity OF liquid substance, bu. stood
this test In the most brilliant manner, it
becomes the duly Of the Health Commit
tee and the City Council to remove it
from its present inacceaaible site and place
it where it can be used and will conse.
quently do the greatest amount OF good,
The objection to the odor no longer ex.
lste, although some persons still persist in
using this argument against its removal,
and will doubtless fight against the adop.
ton OF any site that the committee NAV
aelect. Some tins ago there was a short
piece in the iErELLIGgScER, saying that II
DR.. Ulrich had emelied around a little
more he would nothsve said there waa M
odor when the horse was cromated ior
the people living nearest the crematorv
had complained o: "a sickening odor which
rendered the place almost uninhabi-
table. Now, the cream Of the Joke ia
that these complaints we're made on the
day before the horse was put in. Nh.
serig fired up the furnace On a certain day
and the people saw black smoke issuing
from the stack, caused by the carbon with
which the air about Wheeling is always
charged, and immediately some peonle
began to hold their noses and COMPLAIN
Of foul odors. But tho only thing the fur.
nace contained was the FIRE from the mai.
ural gas, as the horse was not put in till
next day. Thus you Gee how peoples
imagination runs away with them, and
persons who wish toaobject can see, hear
and smell all sorts Of horrible thinps, |
hope our City Council will not be influ.
enced by these g,umblers, but that thew
will vote for removal and approve OF suob |
a site as the Committee O n Health nav
select. The CITY has already gone to a
9ooa deal OF expense In erecting the Gre.
matofy, n now let US not lose what We
have already invested, but get all the good
We can out OF it by placing it where it can